Delaware River Citizens Concerned About Flooding

The Delaware River Basin Commission’s proposed Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP), a long awaited measure that local folks hope will protect them from future floods, is stirring up controversy.

The FFMP is the proposed permanent replacement for Delaware River Basin Commission Resolution 2006-18 (the reservoir reduction program in effect). It will go into effect in July if approved by the governors of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City. To mitigate the impact of flooding, the resolution says, “it is necessary to consider measures including, but not limited to, additional reservoir releases ..to manage discharges, programs of releases by the operators of other impoundments, and open space preservation and restrictions on construction within floodplains.” What the plan does not include is stated precautions on spilling of the New York City reservoirs and PPL’s Lake Wallenpaupack, which residents farther downstream believe could prevent the kinds of floods that have occurred in the last three years. 

Members of the Delaware Riverside Conservancy circulated a petition to urge the Delaware River Basin Commission to pass a resolution to immediately keep the levels of New York City reservoirs and Lake Wallenpaupack to 80 percent. Recent resolutions have allowed the reservoirs to be filled as much as 100 percent. “After 50 years of hurricanes, northeasters, we experienced no flooding until the recent resolutions were passed, and then we experienced three floods in 21 months, with reservoirs filled to 100 percent capacity.” says Nancy Shappell, secretary of the Conservancy. Due to the enormous amount of comments concerning the FFMP, DRBC is delaying a vote on the plan until July. http://drconline.org/.